Wall construction

ABSTRACT

A wall construction has a pair of upright first wall panels located in a first plane and having facing edge portions which defined between themselves an upright first gap. A pair of upright second wall panels correspond to the first wall panels and are located in a second plane substantially paralleling the first plane, with their facing edge portions defining an upright second gap. First and second supports are located in the respective first and second gaps and support the first and second wall panels in such a manner that the supports do not transmit sounds to one another.

United States Patent [1 1 Weller [54] WALL CONSTRUCTION [75] Inventor: Konrad Weller, Munich, Germany [73] Assignee: Wilhelm Bofinger, lllsfeld, Germany [22] Filed: Aug. 9, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 279,168

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation of Ser, No. 878,683, Nov. 21, 1969,

abandoned.

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 25, 1968 Germany 1659051 [52] U.S. Cl. 52/479, 52/496 [51] Int. Cl E04b 2/30 [58] Fieldof Search 52/346, 347, 425, 481,

[ Sept. 24, 1974 Primary ExaminerPrice C. Faw, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmMichael S. Striker [5 7] ABSTRACT A wall construction has a pair of upright first wall panels located in a first plane and having facing edge portions which defined between themselves an upright first gap. A pair of upright second wall panels correspond to the first wall panels and are located in a second plane substantially paralleling the first plane, with their facing edge portions defining an upright second gap. First and second supports are located in the respective first and second gaps and support the first and second wall panels in such a manner that the supports do not transmit sounds to one another.

6 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures Pmmw mm 3.837.132

sum 1 BF 7 FIG. F/G. 2

PATENTEU P241974 3.837. 1 32 saw u or 7 m. /0 FIG. /g//// PATENTEU Z 4 7 SHEET 8 BF 7 F/G. l4

WALL CONSTRUCTION CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application is a continuation of my copending application Ser. No. 878,683, filed in Nov. 21, I969, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a wall construction, and more particularly to a wall construction utilizing discrete wall elements. Still more specifically the invention relates to a double-wall construction utilizing discrete wall elements.

It is known to construct walls, including double walls;

by erecting each wall from a plurality of discrete wall elements which are connected with one another. Each wall element of one wall is back-to-back with the wall element of the second wall, and both are connected to upright supports so as to constitute with the same a wall segment, with the space between the two back-to-back wall elements usually being empty.

The problem with these known constructions is the fact that the spacing between the wall elements arranged back-to-back, that is the thickness of the double wall, cannot be readily changed and that such walls provide insufficient protection against the passage of sound, the latter deficiency being rectifiable only at considerable expense.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a wall construction which is not possessed of the aforementioned disadvantages.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide a wall construction of the type in question which is very simple and constituted by only a relatively few components.

A concomitant object of the invention is to provide such a wall construction which can be readily and simply mounted and demounted and whose dimensions may be in a simple manner adjusted without changing the actual structural composition of the wall construction to accommodate them to different heights, widths and wall thicknesses.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a wall construction whose sound retarding properties can be varied in a simple manner, for instance by changing the thickness of the wall, that'is the distance between wall elements arranged back-to-back, and whose sound retarding properties are much improved over what is known from the art.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGS. 1 and 2 are vertical sections through a wall construction according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section through the embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate how the upright supports are connected with the wall elements;

FIGS. 6-9 illustrate how the uprightsupports are connected with one another;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show sealing means associated with the various components of the wall construction;

FIGS. 12 and 13 show details concerning the construction of the upright supports when the wall construction according to the present invention is to be provided with a window; I

FIG. 14 is a vertical section showing a wall construction utilizing transparent wall elements; and

FIG. 15 is a horizontal section through the embodiment in FIG. 14.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing now the drawing in detail, and firstly FIGS. 1-3 thereof, it will be seen that reference numeral ll identifies upright supports for the wall construction according to the present invention. The supports are provided at their lower end portions with set screws 12 which abut against a floor or a connecting bracket 14 and which permit a height adjustment of the upright supports 11, that is to increase or decrease the height thereof. If desired, an additional set screw or adjusting' screw 12 may be provided at the upper end of each of the upright supports 11 in order to provide a connection with the ceiling of a room in which a wall construction according to the present invention is to be erected, utilizing the upright supports 11. A spring 13 is provided in the manner illustrated, which affords.

compensation for changes in height which may occur as a result of settling of the ceiling and/or the floor. At the same time, the spring 13 constitutes a retaining and a tensioning means.

Alternate ones of the upright supports 11 are offset at their lower and upper portions, respectively, or slotted, for permitting adjustability with reference to the connecting brackets 14 provided at the floor and ceiling. A portion of the offset end portion may be bent over and may be provided with the threads for the set screws 12.

Screws, nails, or other suitable connecting means are utilized to connect the connecting brackets 14 to the floor and ceiling. The upright supports 11 are provided in the region of the lower end portions with abutments 18 on which the lower edges of the individual wall panels 15 rest. The wall construction is of the dual-wall type and it is advantageous that the wall panels of that side of the wall which is erected first are connected at their upper and lower edges with self-tapping screws-or in another suitable desired manner-from the inside of the wall with the respective connecting brackets 14, that is from that side of the wall which subsequently will be concealed by the erection of the other wall por-' tion. If it is anticipated or possible that subsequent changes will become necessary to accommodate the wall construction to changes in the height of the area in which the wall construction is being erected, then a screw connection is effected only to the connecting brackets 14 at the floor.

As FIG. 1 shows, the wall elements or panels 15 may be connected to the ceiling with a spring element 13. Furthermore, and parti larly on the side of the wall which is erected last, it IS possible to use permanent magnets 17 for connecting the wall elements or panels 15a removably to the connecting brackets 14 at the floor and at the ceiling. In addition, or in lieu of the magnets 17, angle brackets 16 may be provided which are screwed to the connecting brackets 14.

In accordance with the present invention, and to assure that the possibility of sound transmission from one side of the wall construction to the other is significantly reduced, each of the two sides of the dual wall construction according to the present invention utilizes its own upright supports 11 and its own connecting brackets 14 at the floor and at the ceiling.

If the wall elements or panels 15 are horizontally divided as shown in FIG. 2, that is if each of the sides of the wall construction utilizes for instance an upper wall element portion 21 and a lower wall element portion 22, then these portions 21 and 22 are connected with connecting means 23 which establishes a sealing connection between them and advantageously is at least in part elastic to provide a self-sealing action, or is provided with an additional soft-elastic sealing profile 24 which connects it in sound-retarding sealing relationship with the wall element portions21 and 22.

Adjacent lateral edge portions of the wall elements of each side of the wall construction define with one another upright gaps. These edge portions are provided with elongated grooves 15' extending vertically when the wall elements 15 are in erected position, as the wall elements 15, 15a are shown to be in the horizontal sectional view of FIG. 3. Located in these grooves 15 are strip-shaped sealing profiles 36 of suitable material, for instance hollow profiled members of polyvinylchloride, r profiled members of cellular rubber or soft synthetic foam material, preferably polyurethane foam of soft deformable character. These members 36 may be provided by an extrusion method and thus have a closed outer skin which significantly increases the sound retarding capabilities of the otherwise open-celled material. The flanges 11' of the upright supports 11, 11a extend into the respective grooves and sealingly contact the sealing profiles 36 located therein.

An elongated connecting bracket 32 connects the wall construction with a side wall of a room in which the wall construction is to be erected. It will be noted that it has a long arm and a short arm, as seen in crosssectional configuration, and by suitable selection of which of these arms is to be inserted into the slot 15 which is adjacent the wall 38, and also by inserting the respective arm to a greater or lesser depth into the groove 15thereby compressing the sealing element 36 to a greater or lesser degree-, different distances a between the respective wall elements 15 and 15a and the wall 38 may be bridged (compare the left-hand and right-hand sides of FIG. 3). A particular advantage of the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 is the simplicity with which the panels 15, 15a can be mounted and dismounted. Attention is directed specifically, for example, to the right-hand wall shown in FIG. 3. Wall panel 15a has two slots, one shown at the bottom of the Figure and the other shown at the top of the Figure. Each such slot has an innermost end and an open outermost end. The outermost end of each slot is to be understood to be defined by the end of the left side (as seen in FIG. 3) of the two slots of panel 15a. The distance between the innermost end of the lower slot (i.e., lower in FIG. 3) and the outermost end of the upper slot is less than the distance between the edges of the flanges of the. supports, these flanges projecting into the respective slots. Because of this dimensioning, if the wall panel 15a is shifted laterally (downwardly in FIG. 3), with concomitant compression of the lower resilient sealing member, one of the flanges (that of bracket 32a) will penetrate more deeply into the respective slot, whereas the other of the flanges will be completely withdrawn from the respective slot, resulting in dismounting of the wall panel. The procedure is reversed for remounting of the panel. In this connection reference is made to FIG. 4 from which it will be evident that any one wall panel of a wall construction according to the present invention can be mounted or demounted in this man ner. Thus, lateral shifting of the wall panel 42 relative to upright support 41 towards the left with concomitant compressing of the sealing element 43a, and lateral shifting of the wall element 44 with its associated upright support 46 and compressing of the associated sealing element 430 towards the right, will permit removal of the wall panel from the illustrated construction, or conversely will permit its installation. Reference numeral 47 identifies the dimension or depth of the illustrated portion of the respective grooves as being half again as great as the distance 48 between the adjacent wall elements 42 and 45 on the one hand, or 45 and 44 on the other hand, which makes it possible to compress the sealing profiles 43, 43a when the wall elements are shifted laterally, without having to exert great force.

FIG. 5 shows how a wall element 54 is sealed with respect to the upright support 52 by the use of a sealing profile 51. The angle bracket 53, corresponding to the one identified with reference numeral 32 in FIG. 3, is sealingly connected with respect to the wall element 56 by means of an adhesive strip 55, for instance a selfadhesive strip, which is applied in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5. A profiled member 57 may be provided in order to afford additional protection against heat conductivity in the upright support 52 if the wall construction is to be a fire-retarding wall.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the upright support 61 may be provided with a reinforcing member 62 applied at predetermined longitudinal locations, for instance at the center third intermediate the bottom and ceiling, to prevent deformation. A similar reinforcing element 63 is provided on the upright support 65, but is spaced from the reinforcing element 62 by the gap 64 in order to prevent sound transmission between the supports 61 and 65 by contact between the reinforcing members 62 and 63 thereof. However, if one of the upright supports 61 or 65 does undergo a certain temporary flexing in direction towards the other upright support, then the reinforcing elements 62 and 63 can temporarily contact one another so that one of the upright supports can always constitute a reinforcement and support the other in case of temporary increased loads. Of course, the particular configuration of the reinforcing elements 62 and 63 need not correspond to what has been illustrated, but instead they may be in form of short narrow projections or the like.

According to FIG. 7 the upright support 71 may be connected with the upright support 75 by means of one or several substantially C-shaped brackets 72. It should be understood that the upright support 71 and the upright support 75 each correspond to one side of a dual wall according to the present invention. In other words, the upright support 71 corresponds to the support 11 in FIG. 3 whereas the upright support 75 corresponds to the support 11a in FIG. 3. The bracket 72 is acoustically insulated from the upright support 71 by means of an elastically compressible sleeve 73 of rubber or synthetic plastic material or the like. The same is true of its connection with the upright support 75. The elastic compressibility which the sleeve must undergo until force transmission takes place between the supports 71 and 75, for instance if horizontal forces temporarily act upon a wall construction utilizing the supports 71 and 75, is advantageously adjustable by means of a nut 74 cooperating with a threaded portion on an arm of the bracket 72, or by making the sleeves 73 and the arms of the bracket 72 of conical configuration.

A further possibility of connecting adjacent-that is back-to-back-upright supports 81 and 83 is shown in FIG. 8, where I utilize an elastically flexible bracket 82 of steel or a suitable synthetic plastic, for instance polyamide, which connects the upright supports 81 and 83 and is suitable connected to the same, without possibility of sound transmission between them.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 the upright supports 91 and 93 may also be connected by means of an elastically compressible soft intermediate layer 92, which may for instance consist of rubber or synthetic plastic material, and which is interposed between adjacent portions of the supports 91 and 93 as shown. The layer 92 may be bonded in suitable manner to these adjacent portions, it may be vulcanized or otherwise be secured to them and may extend over the entire height of the upright supports 91 and 93, or it may be intermittent and extend only over short vertical distances.

Coming now to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. it will be seen that here the wall element 101 is sealed with reference to the connecting brackets 102 at the floor and at the ceiling on the first-erected side of the wall construction by application of a self-adhesive tape 108. The connecting brackets 102 themselves are similarly sealed with respect to the floor and ceiling, respectively. The adhesive tape may be a crepe-paper like stretchable strip, or it may be of another type. In the embodiment of FIG. 10 the wall elements 104 are erected last, that is they constitute the side of the wall construction which is erected last. Sealing of the wall elements 104 may be accomplished by, a sealing profile 118 placed on the connecting brackets 102 at the floor and at the ceiling, or by a sealing tape 109 which is inserted from the exterior to cover the angular gap between the brackets 107 and the Wall elements 104. In the latter case a suitable tool is used to deform the tape 109 as it is withdrawn from a supply roll and to smooth it in place so that it assumes the configuration and position illustrated in FIG. 10.

As shown, the wall element 101 is secured from the inside of the wall construction-before mounting of the wall element l04by means of self-tapping screws 103. Wall element 104, on the other hand, may be connected in place by means of permanent magnets or magnetic strips 105, or from the exterior by means of angle brackets 16 such as shown in FIG. 1 which are screwed with self-tapping screws into the ceiling mounting bracket 107. An adhesive strip 111 serves to seal the mounting brackets with respect to the ceiling and floor, respectively.

Sealing between the floor mounting bracket and the respective wall element on the one hand, as well as between the floor mounting bracket and the floor on the other hand, may also be accomplished by means of tubular element 119- which may be filled with sand or an analogous particulate materialwhich consists of an elastic fabric, an elastic foil such as a coated textile, crepe paper or an elastic foil of synthetic plastic material. The important criterion is that the element 119 tightly and securely contacts and seals the adjacent surfaces. Furthermore, if the element 119 is filled with sand or an analogous material, it provides very good insulation against sound transmission both through the air and through physical contact between adjacent elements. It should be understood that it is also possible to provide the element 119 in empty form and to introduce quantities of sand or an analogous material loosely between the wall elements which are arranged back-to-back. The latter, incidentally, may also be coated on their concealed sides with a sound absorbing material, for instance plates or layers of mineral fibers.

The embodiment in FIG. 11 shows a particularly simple and inexpensive embodiment of the wall construction according to the present invention. Here, the wall element 114 is placed directly against the ceiling D of a room in which the wall construction is to be erected, and a sealing profile 115 serves to provide a sealing connection of the wall element 114 with reference to the ceiling D and the ceiling connecting bracket 112. The sealing profile 115 consists of a softly elastic polyvinylchloride hollow profile, or a hollow profile of another suitable material such as rubber, or it may also consist of solid foam rubber or foamed synthetic plastic material having a closed skin. A springy bracket 113 engages the ceiling bracket 112, being itself provided on the wall element 114, and presses the latter against the ceiling connecting bracket 112 as illustrated. Because of this constructiomwhere the one arm of the ceiling connecting bracket 112 slides into the bracket 113 as illustrated, it is readily possible to vary the posi tion of the wall element 114 for adjusting height tolerances in the room, either during the initial installation of the wall construction or subsequently if height variations occur as a result of settling of the ceiling, the floor and the like.

As shown at the lower portion of FIG. 11, the connection between the wall element 114 and the floor is accomplished via the floor connecting profile 112a which is secured to the floor and to which in turn the wall element 114 is secured, for instance with selftapping screws 103. A socket profile or base profile 116, which is provided to conceal any gap between the floor and the lower edge of the wall element 1 14 which may occur as a result of height adjustments, is connected at the outwardly facing side of the wall element 114, with the same self-tapping screws 103 which connect the wall element 114 to the floor connecting profile 1120, or else in other suitable manner, for instance by adhesive means. If the wall construction is intended as a fire wall, or at least a fire-resistant wall, then a heat retarding material 117 may be introduced between the floor connecting bracket 1 12a and the base profile 116, as illustrated. Reference numeral 119a identifies a sealing lip which is provided separately on the base profile 1 16, or which is an elastic part of the same, and which serves to sealingly engage the floor as illustrated.

Coming to FIG. 12 it will be seen that the wall construction according to the present invention may also be provided with a door, a window, or a translucent or transparent element. In FIG. 12 I have illustrated a door element comprising the door member 230 itself, a sash frame 231 and an outer frame 232, with the latter having a depth b. There is further provided a sealing profile 234. The thickness of the door member 230 itself is identified with reference designation c and the total thickness b c; by properly coordinating the thickness of the door element 230 and the total thickness b c of the wall it is possible to utilize door elements of different total thickness while using one and the same sash frame and outer frame in each case. The sash frame 231 supports the door element 230 and itself is connected to the floor on which the wall construction according to FIG. 12 is erected. One of the uprights disclosed herebefore extends upwardly above the door to the ceiling and provides for the rigid connection of the door element 230 with the ceiling. The outer frame 232 itself is connected to the floor and the ceiling and acoustically completely separated from the sash frame 231, whereby the acoustical separation of both sides of the wall construction is guaranteed even in the region of the door provided according to FIG.

Reference numeral 234 identifies the aforementioned sealing profile which abuts against the spacing member 233 and covers the junction and gap between the frames 231 and 232. In addition, it provides a sound-proof connection between the frames 231 and 232 as well as with reference to the door member 230. The sealing profile 234 may be introduced into the space between the frames 231 and 232 by sliding it in, or it may be made fast with the frame 231 if desired. In thelatter case the frame 232 is moved into abutment with the profile 234 as the frame 232 is installed.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13 shows the same elements but applied in a wall construction having a greater total thickness than that of FIG. 12. Here, the sash frame 241, corresponding to the frame 231 of FIG. 12, is so combined with the outer frame 242, corresponding to the frame 232 of FIG. 12, that together with the thickness d of thedoor member 230a a total thickness b d is obtained. A spacer member may here be omitted, or a small one be provided. The sealing profile 243 abuts against the angled portion 236 of the frame 241 as illustrated, and covers the gap between the frames 241 and 242 for aesthetic purposes and in order to provide a sound-proof closure therefor.

The embodiment in FIG. 14 shows in a vertical section a wall construction according to the present invention utilizing transparent or translucent elements, such as glass. A frame for the transparent or translucent elements, here assumed to be glass, is composed of a frame-shaped member 401 and a cover member 402. For inserting of a glass plate the cover member 402 is removed, that is an existing screw connection is separated, and the glass plate 416 is positioned so that it rests on abutment 403. A sealing lip 404 serves for sealing the glass plate 416 with reference to the frame.

The horizontal frame portions 407 may but need not be of a one-piece profiled construction. After installation the glass plate 416 is moved upwardly, tilted inwardly with its lower edge and allowed to rest on the abutment 403. The sealing and connecting of the thusconstructed transparent or translucent wall element with reference to the floor connecting brackets and ceiling connecting brackets takes place in the same manner as in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-11. Perforated or otherwise apertured cover strips 408 are utilized for bridging the interior spacing between the two sides of the wall construction and for effecting such bridging in dependence upon different desired thicknesses of the wall construction. It should be noted that the members 408 surround the space 418 accommodated between the two glass plates arranged back-toback on all four sides. The sound absorbing interior space 420 of the wall construction of FIG. 12 may be filled with a fibrous sliver or mat 409, for instance of mineral fibers. The horizontally extending perforated or apertured members 408 are placed on connecting pins 410 which are inserted those of the members 408 which extend vertically (not shown).

Coming, finally, to FIG. 15 it will be seen that the lateral frame portions are of two-part construction and consist of a portion 411 and a cover portion 412. Their connection and sealing with respect to the uprights is effected in the same manner as in the embodiments of FIGS. 11l. The chamber 422, having sound absorbing properties, is bordered by perforated or otherwise apertured cover members 413 which are connected to the uprights 415 by means of connecting brackets 414. If it is desired to vary the total thickness of a wall constructed according to this embodiment, it is simply necessary to utilize cover profiles of different width, in dependence upon the total wall thickness selected.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a wall construction, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wall construction comprising, in combination, at least a first wall panel and a second wall panel parallel to and spaced from said first wall panel and defining therewith the hollow interior of a double wall, each of said wall panels having a pair of spaced elongated edge faces and a slot in each edge face extending lengthwise of the respective edge face, and each slot having an innermost end and an open outermost end; a first pair of elongated spaced supports for said first wall panel and a second pair of elongated spaced supports for said second wall panel, each support extending in the direction of elongation of a respective one of said edge faces, and each support having along its length a flange projecting towards the other support of the respective pair of supports and extending into a respective one of said slots of a respective one of said wall panels, the distance between the flanges of the spaced supports of each pair of supports being greater than the distance between the innermost end of one slot of the respective wall panel and the outermost end of the other slot of the respective wall panel, whereby shifting of each of said wall panels in direction from one to the other of the supports of the respective pair of supports results in deeper penetration of one flange into the respective slot and complete withdrawal of the other flange from the other slot of the panel with consequent dismounting of the respective panel.

2. A wall construction as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second panels are identical, and wherein said first and second supports are identical.

3. A wall construction as defined in claim 2, wherein damping material. 

1. A wall construction comprising, in combination, at least a first wall panel and a second wall panel parallel to and spaced from said first wall panel and defining therewith the hollow interior of a double wall, each of said wall panels having a pair of spaced elongated edge faces and a slot in each edge face extending lengthwise of the respective edge face, and each slot having an innermost end and an open outermost end; a first pair of elongated spaced supports for said first wall panel and a second pair of elongated spaced supports for said second wall panel, each support extending in the direction of elongation of a respective one of said edge faces, and each support having along its length a flange projecting towards the other support of the respective pair of supports and extending into a respective one of said slots of a respective one of said wall panels, the distance between the flanges of the spaced supports of each pair of supports being greater than the distance between the innermost end of one slot of the respective wall panel and the outermost end of the other slot of the respective wall panel, whereby shifting of each of said wall panels in direction from one to the other of the supports of the respective pair of supports results in deeper penetration of one flange into the respective slot and complete withdrawal of the other flange from the other slot of the panel with consequent dismounting of the respective panel.
 2. A wall construction as defined in claim 1, wherein said first and second panels are identical, and wherein said first and second supports are identical.
 3. A wall construction as defined in claim 2, wherein said first and second panels are positioned directly opposite each other, and wherein said first and second supports are positioned directly opposite and parallel to each other.
 4. A wall construction as defined in claim 3, wherein said first supports are parallel to each other.
 5. A wall construction as defined in claim 1; and further including coupling means connecting at least one of said first supports to one of said second supports.
 6. A wall construction as defined in claim 5, wherein said coupling means is of elastically yieldable sound-damping material. 